The 2019 film re-examined the Bonnie & Clyde story from the perspective of the lawmen tasked with bringing them to justice.
The Big Picture
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The Highwaymen
successfully approaches the Bonnie & Clyde story from the lawmen’s perspective. - Kevin Costner’s chemistry with Woody Harrelson adds humor and heart to the investigative thriller.
- The film showcases Costner’s skill in revitalizing the Western genre, proving its lasting resonance.
It’s hard to overstate how significantly the 1967 crime movie classic Bonnie & Clyde changed the state of American filmmaking. With its striking visuals, inclusion of graphic sexual and violent content, emphasis on young protagonists, and surprisingly nihilistic themes, the film served as the gateway to the “New Hollywood” era of the 1970s. The film is still cited as a classic to this day, with many similar runaway crime thrillers utilizing the format that director Arthur Penn had perfected. The film grew so iconic that there was inherent trepidation about ever revisiting the material. However, the 2019 neo-Western The Highwaymen re-examined the Bonnie & Clyde story from the perspective of the lawmen tasked with bringing them to justice.
The project was certainly ambitious, and easily could have felt like a cheap means of cashing in on the legacy of one of the greatest movies of all time. While director John Lee Hancock had directed impressive films like the inspirational sports drama The Rookie and the McDonald’s origin story The Founder, nothing in his resume suggested he was suited for an investigative thriller. However, a terrific performance from Kevin Costner helped transform The Highwaymen into a refreshingly old-fashioned historical genre thriller.
The Highwaymen
- Release Date
- March 15, 2019
- Director
- John Lee Hancock
- Cast
- Kevin Costner , Woody Harrelson , Kathy Bates , Kim Dickens , John Carroll Lynch , W. Earl Brown
- Runtime
- 132
What Is ‘The Highwaymen’ About?
Set two years after Bonnie Parker (Emily Brobst) and Clyde Barrow (Edward Bossert) first initiated their reign of terror, The Highwaymen explores the convoluted efforts by the FBI and local authorities to bring the criminals to justice. The FBI is simply ill-equipped to deal with criminals who don’t play by the rules, and leave no indication as to why they are committing their egregious acts of violence. However, the Texas Department of Corrections Chief Lee Simmons (John Caroll Lynch) begins to suspect that the case would be best handled by lawmen who already know the Texas area quite well. With the assistance of Governor Ma Ferguson (Kathy Bates), Simmons hires the former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (Costner) and his former partner Benjamin Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson) to take on the dangerous mission.
The Highwaymen is at its best when it’s focusing on Costner and Harrelson’s chemistry. While Hamer and Gault have worked on many missions together throughout their respective careers, chasing down such young and agile fugitives forces them to question their skills. Costner and Harrelson do a great job at showing the loyalty that the two have developed for each other, even though it’s been many years since they worked together last; Hamer still feels that he owes it to Gault’s family to see him brought home safely, and Gault feels the same way. While the strength of their chemistry gives the film a heartwarming quality, it doesn’t risk being too saccharine. Costner is often not given enough credit for how funny he can be, and the two characters trade more than a few humorous jabs at each other, turning the story into an odd buddy comedy at points.
While approaching the Bonnie & Clyde story from the perspective of the authorities may seem like a dull approach, Costner and Harrelson are still playing underdogs in The Highwaymen. The FBI representatives doubt that these two older men are capable of handling a case that has befuddled their top agents, and frequently lampoon their old-fashioned sleuthing skills. However, it’s the knowledge of the area and knack for picking up latent details that makes Gault and Hamer perfectly suited for the case. Although there are a few exciting gun fights, The Highwaymen is often at its most successful when leaning into its investigative neo-noir elements.
‘The Highwaymen’ Tackles the Legacy of Bonnie & Clyde
A Bonnie & Clyde remake would have been unlikely to be a success, but The Highwaymen succeeds by telling the story from a fresh perspective. Bonnie and Clyde represented a youthful aptitude for anarchy that was spurned by a resentment of the established order. Their crime spree was aimed at making use of media sensationalism to justify their violence. While Hamer and Gault are still part of the law, they also recognize that the system needs change. It’s interesting to see how their old-fashioned, methodical approach comes into play when the stakes become more heightened. Unlike the FBI, Hamer and Gault aren’t politically motivated, they simply want to see innocent people kept safe.
Although the two films are not derivative of each other, The Highwaymen includes elements of the true story that Bonnie & Clyde left out. One of the film’s most powerful scenes involves Hamer talking with Clyde’s father, Henry (William Sadler), who expresses trepidation about disclosing details about his son’s whereabouts. It’s a beautiful moment where the two characters are able to connect because they are both fathers; Costner shows a softer, more empathetic side to Hamer that makes him worth investing in once the film reaches its bloody-soaked climax.
Kevin Costner Has Reinvented the Western Genre
While its set in the 1930s during the end of the “frontier era,” The Highwaymen is certainly inspired by classics of the Western genre. The film is keen to note the eccentricities of the small Texas towns, and spends time showcasing the beautiful landscapes of the natural environment. Costner is perfectly cast as a grizzled, yet still passionate former gunslinger who is forced to return to a profession that he had long since left behind; it feels like a character that John Wayne or Clint Eastwood could have played in their younger days.
Costner has certainly helped to revitalize interest in the Western genre by proving why its themes are still resonant. Between the sprawling mythology of the Yellowstone franchise, his neo-Western thriller Let Him Go, and his upcoming work on the historical epic Horizon – An American Saga, Costner has proven himself to be one of the titans of the genre.
The Highwaymen is streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
This article was originally published on collider.com